BY PATRICIA ANN PARENTI
COTERIE by Informa
This tradeshow took place the day after NYC was hit with a blizzard but the show went on as planned. It was held at the Javits Center in NYC from February 24 -26, 2026. The show featured upscale contemporary and designer brands of shoes, clothing and accessories mainly from USA, South America and Europe. More at www.coteriefashionevents.com.
TRENDS
JEWELERY – gold or silver chunky chains with charms or long chains with pennants in the center in necklaces meant to be worn layered. Bold and big metal rings are worn on multiple fingers on both hands. Cuff bracelets in metal have made a comeback from the 1990s. Earrings are big hoops. Gold out shinned silver in every collection that I saw.
CLOTHING – skirts got longer/fuller and hit mid-calf. Pants have wide legs and high waist still prevail. As you can see in my photo above sleeves are leg of mutton style meaning they are full on top and get tight below the elbow. Flounces on hems of skirts continue.
ACCESSORIES – scarves are the newest trend and are worn rolled and tied at the neck in the front. Bags got more structured and hobo shapes are new.
SHOES – sneakers are embellished with glitter all over for newness. Rhinestone embellishment on shoes was seen in many styles. My favorite style boot was a Victorian front lace up boot to the knee with a glitter and sequin applique all over the boot.
ARCH NYC
Designed in NYC but made in Brazil. Guess why the designer, Jazmin Veney named this brand Arch? Answer is her signature is a heart in the arch of the sole of the shoe as seen in the bottom right photo above. That style sandal is called “Lovestruck”. This collection is very ladylike and feminine for the lady who wants to walk in the room with shoes that make a statement instead of blending in to the crowd. All shoes and boots are leather, suede and fur calf. Sizes 6 – 12. Heels are 4 inches high and are perfect for women with beautiful slim feet and a high arch/instep. The heels on the black sandal and boot in the photo are called a slim cylinder heel. Other styles not shown are beaded sandals with ankle straps and ostrich feathers on the front of evening sandals. Shoes price $250.00 – $375.00 and knee-high boots $575.00. Some styles are sold at Nordstroms and the website Revolve. You can also order them on their website at www.archnyc.co.
VOLTA ATELIER
An upcycled leather handbag line handstitched by refugee women living in South Brazil. These women are all trained artisans working from home. These carry all bags are created from leather remnants from tanneries. Since the team is using leather remnants which can tend to be small sizes, the leather is placed flat on a table and from there the decision on what size bag can be made utilizing the most of the full skin of leather. Since the bags are unlined, they can be folded flat after use which is a great idea for travel and storage. Many of the bags are one of a kind too. Each bag has an outer label with the name of the lady who made it just for you. Styles are tote bag, wrist bag, sack purse and hobo style in fur calf as in my photo. Priced $160.00 – $195.00. To order, go to www.voltaatelier.com.
MAGIC
A trendy and young contemporary tradeshow that was on the lower level of the Javits Center and took place the same time as Coterie. The difference in the shows is Magic is less expensive than Coterie and much trendier as far as fashion goes. I wouldn’t say it’s only for the teen and 20 something year olds at all but for a woman of any age who can fit in to junior styles, has a good body and wants to look extremely fashionable rather than classic. As I walked the show, I touched the garments of many brands and I would say the fabrics were of high quality unlike the cheap junior chain stores or websites, Shein and Temu. More at www.magicfashionevents.com.
TRENDS
Shoes – square toes on ballerina flats, kitten heel boots, the fold over ankle boot remains in fashion, ankle wrapped high spike heel shoes are the newest trend. Everything had rhinestones embellishments on them.
Clothing – high waist jeans are still the trend but with a barrel leg being the newest style. Pin tuck tops that hit above the waist as seen in my photo. A 1970s style vest in denim that matches the jeans is a new look. Magic brands were still showing spring/summer 2026 because the trends change so fast that the buyers are afraid to buy 6 months in advance. Poka dots and stripes continue again for the up-and-coming season. I did see lots of super-size bell bottom pants in cotton and short shift dresses in prints for summer. Dresses, skirts and tops still had flounces at the hem.
Accessories – the biggest trend to take over is the purse key charm either in metal with rhinestones or tassels that you attach to the zipper of your backpack or to the metal ring in the purse strap.
GUAVA LANE
I was attracted to the booth by pretty prints done by hand blocking on organic cotton fabric that are made in India. The print designs are carved into teakwood blocks with each color in the pattern having its own block and approximately four blocks = one prints. Emily who is the founder wanted to make clothes that would last and not the disposable fashions we see nowadays. She uses fair trade certified factories also. Colors are sky blue, peach petal, sea mist, aloe and seaside America.
Women’s styles are a large sarong that can be used as a bathing suit cover up and a small sarong that can be used on your head at a windy beach. Other styles are maxi dress, cop top that coordinates with a mini skirt as seen in my photo. Beachwear has a boxer short with hand embroidery on the pocket and halter tops. Looking for some new resort and beach fashions, then you can build a wardrobe around this brand. Sizes XS/S – M/L. Priced $38.00 – $88.00
Men’s shirts are hand printed with a mud/clay mixture and then dyed with natural pigments. The style is relaxed and beachy in organic cotton with mother of pearl buttons. Size S – XXL. Priced at around $58.00. To order women and men styles, go to www.guavalane.com.